The Pleasures of Reading

There are few groups of people who know as well from personal experience that prayer is really the mightiest force in the world as our A.A. groups. Most of us have learned to ask God daily to assist us through the day without drinking, and have had our prayers answered, day after day, when nothing else would do it. Those of us who wish to rest content with this, who feel that this miracle is already more than we could reasonably expect, probably would be irritated by this book, which urges us to go on to apply the principle to other issues.

For those, however, who feel that contributing toward a better world is part of the restitution suggested for convalescing alcoholics, and for those who simply wish that there was something they could do about current events, Dr. Laubach's book offers a satisfying solution. He shows us in detail how to use "chinks" of time for intercessory prayer, and makes a powerful case for its effectiveness. By reminding us that "It is infinitely better for world leaders to listen to God than for them to listen to us," he suggests the solution to the frustration we feel when we read or hear the news these days. We know that things are going badly and we feel heart-sick at our inability to do anything about it. We haven't the influence to make our ideas felt, even if we had any real confidence in our ideas on many complex subjects. The way out, and a satisfying way it is, is to turn the problem over to God by helping those responsible for world affairs to lift their hearts and minds to Him.

-- Bob D.

Garden City, Long Island, New York

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